former Director of Weapons Testing, Pentagon
Senior Advisor at the Center for Defense Information, a nonprofit security-related research group; former Director of Weapons Testing at the Pentagon during the Clinton Administration, and former Director of Nuclear Testing for the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Berkeley, California
Barack Obama and the Military-Industrial Complex As he considers General McChrystal's request for more troops in Afghanistan, President Obama faces a conflict defined by the Constitution. He is the Commander in Chief, but the US military enjoys at least as much political influence as the civilian authority that is nominally in charge. McCrystal was hand-picked by Obama to change the face of the eight-year-old war, but by publicly advocating a troop increase the President may not want to provide, the military leader has challenged the civilian authority provided by the Constitution. Like Harry Truman, John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson, Obama appears to doubt that all-out force will produce the right outcome, but his options may be limited. If he provides what McChrystal asks, will Obama plunge the country into another "quagmire?" If he does anything less, will he be labeled "unpatriotic?"
Who's Watching the Nuclear Arsenal? The Bush Administration is demanding that other countries tighten up on proliferation of nuclear materials and technology. But at the same time, the US is doing a poor job of maintaining its own arsenal of nuclear weapons. Six nuclear missiles were flown across the continental United States by mistake. Nuclear missile nose-cones were mistakenly shipped to Taiwan. After those incidents, the Secretary of the Air Force and its top civilian official were fired by Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Now another embarrassment has surfaced: hundreds, perhaps thousands, of nuclear missile components have turned up missing.
Violence Greets Bhutto's Return to Nuclear-Armed Pakistan Benazir Bhutto's return to Pakistan yesterday was made possible by a deal with Pervez Musharraf, who offered her amnesty from charges of stealing millions of dollars during her two terms as Prime Minister in exchange for Bhutto's party allowing Musharraf to be reelected President by the parliament, even though he is still the head of the Army. Last night's bombing turned a festival into a tragedy, killing almost 150 people and wounding hundreds more. Now, recriminations are fueling uncertainties about the deals between Musharraf and Bhutto, deals which are already being challenged in court. If that were not enough, it is being reported that the US and Britain ignored Pakistan's illegal nuclear weapons trade for 30 years, all the way back to the Presidency of Democrat Jimmy Carter. Did concern for the alliance allow Pakistan to become a nuclear power and illegally spread the technology to Libya, North Korea and Iran? What can the US do now?
The Cold War Revisited The US stopped flying bombers armed with nuclear weapons back in 1968, after crashes in Greenland and Spain that contaminated the ground with Plutonium. But last month, a B-52 flew from North Dakota to Louisiana armed with six cruise missiles--each 10 times as powerful as the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima. Tomorrow 100,000 airmen at all Air Combat Command bases will stand down as investigators try to figure out how that happened. Meantime, Russia has tested what it calls the "Father of All Bombs" and resumed Cold-War type bomber patrols close to NATO airspace. What's behind Russia's aggressive behavior? Can the US keep track of its weapons of mass destruction?
UN Weighs Sanctions against North Korea In light of Sunday's nuclear test, an unidentified North Korean official announced to the state news agency today, "We hope the situation will be resolved before an unfortunate incident of us firing a nuclear missile." But there's still doubt about the real nature of Sunday's test. However successful North Korea's nuclear test might have been, the fact that it happened at all is a set-back for efforts at non-proliferation. At the United Nations today, even China says there must be "some punitive action" against North Korea for testing a nuclear weapon. America's Ambassador John Bolton called for a "strong resolution and swift response from the Security Council." Who's to blame? We hear from the UN, see how North Korea's test compares to those of other nations and ask about failures of diplomacy.
Does Big Money Make America Safer? After four hours of debate about terrorism, Secretary Rumsfeld and the war in Iraq, the Senate passed a $470 defense bill yesterday without a single dissenting vote. If Congress does nothing else between now and election day, it will have passed more military spending than the rest of the world combined. It's a post/911 election year, after all, with wars going on in Iraq and Afghanistan. But the Pentagon has admitted for years that it can't keep track of its money. So who knows if more and more dollars really add up to greater protection? Does Congress exercise the oversight it's supposed to? Are pet projects taking resources away from American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan? (An extended version of this discussion was originally aired earlier today on To the Point.)
Senate Passes Record Defense Budget, but Are We Safer? After hours of impassioned debate about terrorism, Secretary Rumsfeld and the war in Iraq, the Senate passed the defense-spending bill yesterday by a vote of 98-to-nothing. Congress is about to do the same. The legislation's $500 billion provides for more military spending than the rest of the world combined. In a post-9/11 election year--with wars going on in Iraq and Afghanistan--no politician in either party wants to be labeled "anti-defense." The Pentagon has admitted it can't keep track of all of that money. So who knows if bigger spending really means greater protection? Are threats to America changing faster than the military can get ready to meet them? Does Congress focus on oversight or pet projects?
Will the Senate write a healthcare bill in secret? While Democrats and Republicans argue White House relations with Russia, another question is being decided behind closed doors: who gets help buying health insurance and who doesn't? We hear how the pros and cons are being shrouded in secrecy.
What is Trump's plan for Middle East peace? On his first foreign tour, President Trump has promised "peace" between Israel and the Palestinians. Are there any details for re-starting talks that have been stalled for the past three years?
Who's to blame for the opioid crisis? Some of the lawyers who took on Big Tobacco are now going after Big Pharma. It’s all about the deadly epidemic of opioid use. Are the drug companies to blame? What about the users? Later, on today’s Talking Point: making sense of Britain’s upset election.
Replacing Obamacare: Now you see it… now you don’t As the Senate deliberates replacing Obmacare, health coverage for millions of people is at stake. There've been no public hearings, and a draft measure won't be made public. Is the House version so unpopular that that Senate is hiding a version that looks much the same?